Pro-Donald Trump display set on fire in yard of home; police investigating

Mallory Hoff has the story from Castleton Corners. (Photo: Sam Pirozzolo)

WABC

Monday, August 08, 2016

CASTLETON CORNERS, Staten Island --

An artist is promising to rebuild a statue supporting Donald Trump after the original was set on fire and destroyed, just feet away from a Staten Island home.

Donald Trump supporter Sam Pirozzolo's T-shaped 12-foot sign of support for the Presidential nominee went up in flames early Sunday morning.

Pirozzolo got a knock on his door at 1 a.m. Sunday by someone driving by, who wanted to alert the family that the sign was on fire.

"This is America, I have the right for my free speech. Cowards to not have the right to come onto my personal property to come over my fence, and to set my personal property on fire," Pirozzolo says.

FDNY Fire Marshals are investigating after the large display of loyalty was destroyed.

Pirozzolo hired a local artist to create the piece, which sits in the front yard of his home in Castleton Corners. Now he says he wants to get to the bottom of what happened in his own front yard.

This is what it looked like before the fire:

"Never ever did I think that somebody would set fire to this...I have two Trump signs that were set here by the bushes - they were stolen the night before," Pirozzolo says. "So this is just a whole level of cowardness that we've never expected."

Eyewitness New is told the artist will be back on Staten Island in the week ahead to build another sign. Investigators are still searching for the person, or people responsible.